Now, our family have loved water parks for many years. These days our teenagers and twins gallop around with their friends, we adults still slide but we get to sit down too. Bliss.

When the kids were younger though, we had a few tricky moments and quickly learned some invaluable water park life hacks.

Toddlers and preschoolers do love and enjoy a visit to Wet’n’Wild Sydney. Here are some ideas for making the most of a day out at Wet’n’Wild Sydney with little kids.

Find a shady spot and set up camp

Read about Wet’n’Wild Sydney before you go and plan where to base yourself. The most important thing you need is shade and there are plenty of areas that have heaps.

I’d recommend setting up base camp on the lounges under shade at the Nickelodeon Beach.

There’s a shaded water playground there which little kids would play in joyfully for hours. Plus there are the Wet’n’Wild junior rides, mini versions of the larger rides.

Another terrific area base for younger primary aged children is Dinosaur Lagoon. There are lots of lounges under shade there. The children will adore the moving dinosaurs and the lazy river ride is great for their age group.

For older primary kids, the seating area under shade just above The Beach is terrific. They will love the excitement of Australia’s largest wave pool. Remember that parents need to be with their kids in this pool.

Cabanas

Another excellent option for families is to rent a cabana; there are over 50 of them around the water park. Read more about them on the Wet’n’Wild Sydney website.

Arrive early and leave late

Make the most of your day at the park by staying the full day. If you arrive before opening time, you’ll also get a good parking spot and be able to find a great spot to base yourself.

Loads of towels and snacks too

If staying all day, you’ll need loads of towels and some snacks and also some warmer clothes for the kids. Snacks for the journey home can also be a lifesaver.

Check height restrictions before you go

Measure how tall your kids are and check the Wet’n’Wild Sydney website before you go. We’ve had hysterics and tantrums when we let kids see a ride they turned out to be too small for. We learned a hard lesson there and never did that again!

Nowadays with older kids, I get to sit down a lot more than I did when they were little. I kind of miss having an excited and half-terrified child on my lap as we whiz down slides though.

We adults still do loads of the rides, with the kids if we can keep up with them. Man, climbing all the steps to the top of the rides is great exercise.

Here’s to loads of active fun all spring and summer with our kids, and the wetter the better.

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